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Introduction:
I. Do you believe in Witchcraft?

II. Witchcraft is commonly misunderstood. Many people have their own beliefs on the subject without very much information on it. Most of us know what in general a witch is, however we don't know what it is they practice exactly, or what kind of hardships they faced, but we are here to provide examples using general knowledge and specific examples. (you can change this if you'd like its just a rough draft)

III. Witchcraft in the 16th and 17th century was based mostly in Europe. A witch was determined by many different signs. The accused witches were put through different tests to see if they actually were practicing witchcraft. If the tests came out positive, they would face cruel and unusual punishment. There are a few cases in which you may be familiar with that involve the trials of witches.

Body:
I. What is Witchcraft?-I

Wtch-A woman possessing dark or supernatural powers was considered a witch
3 defintions
"the use of supernatural power, usually but not always to harm"
human beings possessed extraordinary abilities that were darkly unnatural
puritans also understood witchcraft as a relationship between a human being and the devil
young women lent support to the puritan definition by "experiencing" pain from "resisting" the devil,

something ministers told them they'd feel

historians believe new england witch-craft as a way to express social and cultural anxieties among accusers rather than the harm the accused was accused
gender, religion,and psychology lent bias to deciphering the meanings of witchcraft

II. How did they determine who were witches?-M

People saw them performing magic/witchcraft
They admitted to it
If someone had a "witch mark," they were a witch
"familiars" were given to them by the devil
- wreaked havoc on the surrounding population
- exclusively British
Tie someone up and throw them into the water
- if they sank they weren't a witch, but they were dead
- if they floated to the top (like a cork) they were a witch

III. How did they punish Witches?-J

Traditionally witches were burned at the stake or hanged.
Sometimes the witch would be strangled before being hung.
To ensure confessions out of witches the would use methods of physical and meant discomfort such as; forced walking or running , starvation, and sleep deprivation.

IV. Where there big witch cases?-H

The most popular witch case was the Salem Witch Trials. They happened in Massachusetts during 1692 and 1693. 20 people were executed and over 200 were accused of witchcraft. Three women Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osbourne. They were all put in jail.
The first witch trial was in 1566 in England. It came about from pressure of the church. The examination and confession was held by the queen's majesty's judges.

Conclusion:

Witches went through many things during their lifetime, but there wasn't really any way to prove that you weren't a witch, so people who were suspected to be a witch were killed.
Witchcraft has been argued on for many generations, but the only question that can be answered is... Do you believe in it? (I don't really know what to put so feel free to make changes)

Citations:
Blumberg, J. (2007, October 24) A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials. Retrieved October 20, 2011, from Smithsonian Website: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/brief-salem.html

Karlsen, C. (2003) Witchcraft, In Dictionary of American History (Vol.8, pp.494-495).NY
Charles Scribner's Sons

Ciekawy, D. (2005) Witchcraft, In New Dictionary of American Ideas (Vol. 6, pp. 2476-2479). Detroit:
Charles Sons

O'Connor, J. P. (1996) Witchcraft Pamphlets in Renaisssance England. The Midwest Quarterly, 37.2, 215+. Retrieved October 20, 2011, from Gale Student Resources in Context

(2003, ). Evidence used against witches, 1693. Retrieved from Gale Student Resources In Context website: http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/suic/PrimarySourcesDetailsPage/PrimarySourcesDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=PrimarySources&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=SUIC&action=e&windowstate=normal&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ2104210161&mode=view&

OH, and we also need the monty python source.
Video:Forstater,M., Goldstone,J., White, M. & Gilliam, T., Jones, T. (1974) Monty Python and The Holy Grail
Los Angeles, CA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzMhU_4m-g&feature=related

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. (2006, ). Witchcraft. Retrieved from Fact Monster website: http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/society/A0852541.html